The Average Life of Allison Longbottom and Company
by less1than2three3
Summary: Its the New Generation and is it entertaining! Who's getting together? Who's breaking up? Who's got problems and who's coming back? Its all in the average life of Allison Longbottom.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

She wasn't quite sure when everything first began with them. Heck, she didn't even know if he considered them anything, maybe they were nothing. All she knew was that with every touch, every whispered word and every glance, she became even more ensnared within this deceitful web. She twirled herself around in it, knotted it so tight to her body that she couldn't remember how to leave or even if she wanted to leave. He was perfection incarnate. From the tips of his flawlessly curled feather eyelashes to his ridiculously soft feet, he was perfect. Even his flaws were perfect, like the way half his mouth went higher when he smiled or that he could never quiet remember how to tell the difference between left or right without his hands to guide him. He was perfect and it made everything about him so painfully brilliant.

He was like trying to capture the moons rays on water. It was mesmerising to see and you could deceive yourself into believing that it's there and that it's real, but the minute you try to touch it, it's gone and you're left trying to grab those fragmented pieces before they completely disappear. You know they won't be gone forever, but your world has no logic as you watch it fade away and the fear grips you so tight that you can't breathe and your world just seems to dim that little bit. Then, as suddenly as it's gone, its back, and you can feel the oxygen flow through you again and you wear a foolish smile with pride because he came back to you and that's all that really counts.

So yes, she doesn't remember how it began, if it began or even if it should have began. All she can think is that something this wrong can't possible feel so great and that walking on air can't be bad because that's what angels do and he is obviously an angel and angels are good. She knows how twisted it sounds but it makes sense to her, so she sits with her twisted logic in her twisted world as she stares at him and she finds it so utterly twisted beyond belief. All she knows is if she could be bothered to look away from him long enough; she would find that she truly didn't care about how good or wrong or how it's not supposed to be. She was already too deep to turn back now.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer! I do not own Harry Potter and I also do not own any characters... besides the ones I have created. So, enjoy the story and review if you want :)**

If you asked almost anyone in Hogwarts who Allison Longbottom was, the standard reply would be 'Professor Longbottom's daughter' or 'that clumsy chick'. If you asked any of her friends who Allison Longbottom was, they would probably tell you that 'she's really nice and the kindest person you will ever meet'. And all of its true, down to the very breath it took to utter those phrases, they were true. Most of the time, Allison was grateful that was all she was remember for, it was far too embarrassing to be known as 'the girl with the big crush on James', which was also true. She didn't quite know exactly when her crush first began or if it transformed into love… was she in love? She didn't know, all that really mattered was that he didn't know about it. And he didn't, James Sirius Potter had no idea that little plain-Jane Allison Courtney Longbottom had these feelings. He had no idea and that was the way Allison like it.

She liked the fact that she could go up to James and not have to worry about if he was thinking about how to let her down easy. She liked the fact that he was able to have a laugh with her and to joke with her and to share little things that made him smile. She liked their friendship too much to have it ripped apart because she told him how she felt. She was too selfish for that. What she didn't count on was her inability to watch as James paraded around with a different girl on his arm every day. Before she had a crush on him, she didn't really mind, she just thought he was a dick cause of it. But now that she did like him, as in _like _like him, it was too painful to watch. So, Allison took to avoiding it, which also made her happen to avoid him in general. It had been pretty successful this past few months but she knew that people were going to notice. She wasn't sure if she was ready to start pretending everything was fine but if it meant still being friends with James, she was going to try.

"Earth to Ally. Ally. You in there?" Allison snapped out of her musing, looking up at her best friend. "I'm here Lysander, but most times I'm not sure you are." She teased, moving along the bench for him to sit down. With a grace that most days she was jealous of, Lysander Scamander sat down and grabbed a plate. "So, still obsessed with Potter?"  
>"Still obsessed with Zambini's ass?"<br>"Point" He grinned back at her, licking his lips extremely slowly. "That is one fine piece of ass" Allison laughed at her best friend and continued trying to eat her extremely limp pasta. After eating two bites, Allison conceded defeat and just grabbed a piece of bread. "I still don't get why you like Potter though. I mean, his body is to die for and he looks like he belongs in a Hugo Boss ad, but his personality is just horrid." Lysander commented, scooping some mashed potato onto his plate. "You wouldn't understand." She retorted, crossing her arms. Lysander thought for a moment over what she said. "You're right. I have no idea what you're talking about. I just think he's a douche" Allison rolled her eyes and just grabbed her bag, scurrying out of the dining hall and to the Astronomy classroom to finish off some of her homework. Lysander didn't understand but under all that douche-ness, James had the potential to be a good guy.

* * *

><p>It was a great day to be James Sirius Potter. Not only did he ace his potions test and he also got lead Chaser in Quidditch, but he was also about to have a great dessert. Yep, life couldn't get much better for the oldest son of the great Harrison Potter, except maybe if… and just as if she could read his mind, Sarah Tuckerton ripped off her shirt and exposed herself to him. He was actually pretty impressed; he had been trying to get the famous Hogwarts' Ice Queen in his trophy cabinet for quite a while now and she had managed to keep away for 5 weeks, smashing the previous record of 2. Smirking, James pulled her into him, making sure she felt exactly how much he wanted her, and boy did he want her. With a sweet perky rack and quiet demeanour, Sarah was his greatest conquest yet. James could hear her moaning his name as she rubbed herself against him, trying to create that sweet friction that he loved so much. They probably would have kept going if it wasn't for the creak of the door and a familiar shriek.<p>

Sarah jerked away from him once she heard the shriek, quickly pulling her shirt back on. James didn't bother with the formality, he just lazily looking behind him. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt, I'll just, um, leave you to it." Allison Longbottom stammered, blushing bright red and hiding her face behind her books. James just had to smile at her reaction, it was a classic Allison Longbottom response, all that was need was for her to trip on thin air and then it would be perfect. "No, Sarah was just leaving. You can stay Ally" He could feel Sarah's penetrating glare on his face "Well, what are you waiting for? I need to talk to Ally alone" He snapped, running his hand through his already messy hair. Sarah's face went molten red as she tried in vain to keep her anger in check, stalking out of the room with her head as high as it could go. With a click of the door, she was gone. Now, only Allison and James were left in the room.

They stood staring at each other from across the room, not really knowing what to say. James turned around to reach for his shirt; it was getting pretty obvious that it was making Allison uncomfortable. "I'm sorry", he looked back at Allison, who was staring intently at the ground. "I think you should be. It's not nice avoiding someone." Her head snapped up at his statement "I'm not avoiding you."  
>"Yes, you are." She shook her head furiously, dark red hair whipping through the air. James chuckled at her reaction, walking over to pat her on the head. "Then how come I never see you anywhere?" She tried to nonchalantly shrug her shoulders but James could see how tense she was. "You're a 7th year, I'm a 5th year. We have different schedules." She did have a point but he was never going to admit that to her. "Okay, then. I'll accept that answer…" He could see Allison start to relax slightly "…for now." she immediately became tense again. "Oh, wow! Is that the time? I better get going. Don't want to be late." Allison cried, all but running out the classroom door, leaving James standing up in confusion. He didn't dwell on her strange behaviour; Allison had been acting weird for ages. Shrugging, he scratched his head and wondered which booty call he would have to use for that night.<p>

* * *

><p>All the way across the grounds, Lysander Scamander sat in his usual chair observing everyone in the common area. There were a few first years crowding around a game of Wizards Chess, he could even make out the small figures of Daniel and Franklin among them. They were Allison's twin younger brothers and were nearly identical. They both had the same shade of light brown hair and they had the exact same features, the only difference being that Daniel had dark green eyes exactly like Allison's while Franklin's were dark blue. Since Allison was like a sister best friend to Lysander and their families were so close, he considered them to be the little brothers he had always wanted. He already had Lorcan, but he mostly acted so mature that he was like the older brother, so it was kinda nice having Daniel and Franklin around. In a way, they kind of reminded Lysander of himself and Lorcan. Daniel was the more down to earth type and level-headed, like Lorcan. Meanwhile, Franklin was energetic and sociable, like himself.

Suddenly, in a whirlwind of red hair, Allison entered the common area. Lysander raised an eyebrow at his eccentric best friend, who just slumped down next to him. "Should I bother to ask?" Allison shook her head and bought her knees up to her chest.  
>"No, not really." Lysander didn't like the faraway look on her face, it was all wrong "Well, people get fat from not bothering and I like being fit, so what happened?" Groaning, Allison buried her head in her knees and mumbled incoherently. "Excuse me, but not all of us are fluent in kneeberese. Repeat in English."<br>"I said, I ran into James in the Astronomy classroom… with Sarah Tuckerton." Lysander's eyes widened "You mean, the Sarah Tuckerton? Gorgeous babe with a heart of ice?" Allison nodded her head. "Well, one thing you can say about James, what he lacks in brains, he makes up for in taste. That girl is fine." Allison rolled her eyes at him. It was silent for a moment as the thought of James and Sarah together filled the space between them.

"So, what where they doing?"  
>"Not homework… SHIT! I DIDN'T FINISH MY HOMEWORK!" Allison groaned and slumped into the ground, even more depressed. "Don't worry about it Ally. You know that she doesn't check it anyway." Allison glared at Lysander before putting a snooty expression on her face "It's the principle of the matter. Not that you would know about that." Lysander blushed darkly and hissed at her "It was one time. Let. It. Go." Allison giggled and Lysander slumped, knowing that if it made Allison laugh, she could remember it forever. Allison hugged him. "Sorry Lysander, I'll let it go soon, promise. It's just really funny that the great Lysander Scamander was caught in the middle of…."<br>"We know what happened." Allison grinned and laughed. The sat in comfortable silence for what seemed forever, then Allison yawned "Well, I'm off to bed. Can you do me a favour and make sure Danny and Frankie go to bed soon?" Lysander knew that she knew the he was going to say yes, but he nodded his head anyway. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Things like that make people think we're dating, you know." He watched her go laughing up the stairs. Lysander shook his head and wondered how he got so lucky to have her around. Turning back, he kept an eye on Daniel and Franklin, just like he promised.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer! I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Enjoy and Review :)**

Allison was tired. She was so tired that she could nearly doze of right in the middle of Wizarding History if she didn't respect Mrs Muskoitz as much as she did. Everything about Mrs Muskoitz was sharp, from her face to her tongue; she was a force to be reckoned with. She wasn't all that scary, Allison knew her from before she started school when her dad (the Herbology professor) would invite all his work colleagues over for a celebratory dinner. But she was rambling, the reason behind Allison's tiredness was because she had not been able to get a full nights rest since that run in with James in the Astronomy classroom and that had been 3 days ago. It was mostly due to the fact that he was shirtless and looking extremely yummy, another factor was that he knew that she was avoiding him. He had noticed, so did that mean James had figured out why she was avoiding him? And if James knew, how many other people did? Did the whole school know? Did her father? These questions repeated themselves in her head and seemed to block out anything else. Sighing, Allison picked up her book and shuffled out of class.

She really could use some of Lysander's advice right now; his stupidity always cheered her up. Trudging down the hallway, she kept her eyes wide open from any sign of Lysander's lanky frame and mop of light blonde hair. He was pretty hard to miss but Allison was only so tall and unfortunately, almost everyone else was bigger, blocking him out. Straining her neck, Allison tried to look over the heads of her peers and it was because of this reason that Allison didn't see the body in front of her. Slamming into the other person, Allison sent them both to the ground. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Here let me help you with that." Allison scrambled about trying to pick up her and the other person's books, pens and random sheets of paper. Just as Allison reached for another book, a distinctly feminine hand grabbed it. "Ally, just chill out, it's only a book. Gosh, you're still a spazz." Allison looked up at the familiar voice and looked into even more familiar hazel eyes. "Arabella?" The other girl grinned and nodded her head.

The two girls sat outside in the sunlight, Arabella stretched out with her head thrown back and Allison tucked into a neat ball. "Ah, I missed English air. It's somehow different in France" She turned and gave Allison a big smile, which she returned half-heartedly. "How was Beauxbaton anyway? I heard it's quite pretty." Arabella nodded her head. "Yep, it's beautiful." Silence lapsed over the two girls as the wind ruffled their hair. "I'm sorry, you know. About leaving like that, without telling you or Lysander. And for coming back without telling you or Lysander too." Allison shook her head. "There's nothing to be sorry about, you chose Beauxbaton, I get it. It hurt for a while but its okay. And as for coming back… you know I love surprises" Arabella looked grim "Yeah, but Lysander doesn't. He hates them. Remember his and Lorcan's 10th birthday party and we told Lysander we were going to get him that new Stewart Kingsdale CD and he got so mad when we got him the spud gun instead." Allison laughed as the memory flashed before her eyes. They continued laughing as they walked to their next class, the sound carried by the wind.

* * *

><p>He did not like this. He did not like this at all. Sprinting down the corridor, Lysander pushed people out of his way. He didn't care if they yelled or tried to push back, he needed to find Allison and make sure she was okay. He kept running and he would keep running until he found her. Sliding around the corner, he jumped down the stairs and continued to sprint across the courtyard. He could feel the wind against his face, pushing his hair slick against his skull. Finally, he could spot her dark red hair in the distance, walking next to another person. From the distance he was at, Lysander guessed it was probably Roxanne Weasley. He failed to notice that Roxanne's skin was not its usual tan and that her once chocolate hair now had a tint of red to it. He was so focused on informing Allison that she was back that he didn't notice the subtle differences. He was closing in on Allison, close enough that he could tell she was laughing, the tinkling sound carrying back to him. "ALLISON!" She and her companion turned around and Lysander stopped in his tracks. Standing in front of him, next to his Allison, was Arabella Granger.<p>

Lysander and Arabella continued to stare at each other, Allison looking back and forth between them. "Lysander, look whose transferred from Beauxbaton. It's…"  
>"I know who it is." Lysander growled, glaring into Arabella's hazel eyes. He was almost sorry when Allison flinched at his tone but he was too angry to feel anything else. "What are you doing here?" Arabella gazed apologetically at him but Lysander wasn't taking anything from her, he just scowled harder "I transferred to Hogwarts this year…"She trailed off. Lysander's eyes flashed with fire at her answer. "Oh, so now after everything, you think you can just waltz back in here and think we'd welcome you back with open arms? What, Beauxbaton's not good enough anymore?"<br>"My dad got fired." Lysander snapped his mouth shut and Allison covered hers. Arabella stared at the ground and kicked a loose pebble "Yeah, we can't afford the airfares. So, we're living with Aunt Hermione until things get better." Allison reached out and gave her a hug. Lysander shifted on his feet "Look, I'm sorry about your dad but it doesn't change anything." Arabella nodded her head at him. "Let's go Ally." Allison hugged Arabella tighter before letting go and joining Lysander. "I'll see you around Arabella" Then, Lysander and Allison left Arabella standing in the background.

"Lysander, I know you're angry but it's not her fault her dad got fired." Lysander growled and shoved his hands in his pocket. "I know. What is her fault was deciding to go to school at Beauxbaton's without telling us" Allison nodded her head, he did have a point. Pulling him to a stop, Allison stared up at him "You're right. She should have told us but it's in the past, you have to forgive her." Lysander exploded on her, tearing out of her grip. "Don't be so naïve all the time Ally! When are you going to realise that she's a bitch? She left us without even a stupid fucking note to explain things! You might be stupid enough to forgive her but I'm not going to forgive her. Not now, not ever!" Allison eyes were wide and brimmed with tears, stabbing Lysander's with guilt. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said, okay? It's just that the first time she left, you cried for 3 days. I don't want you to get hurt again and I don't trust her not to leave you again." Lysander pulled his best friend into a hug and wished Arabella Granger had never come back.

* * *

><p>Arabella watched as Lysander pulled Allison away and tried to push her feelings of guilt down. She knew 5 years ago that going to Beauxbaton without telling them was a bad idea and she had been right. Now, her two best friends hated her guts… well, only Lysander did but as long as he was angry at her, Arabella could kiss any chance of being friends with Allison goodbye. Allison and Lysander were inseparable; there was no Lysander without Allison and no Allison without Lysander, that's just the way it had always been. Arabella could remember when they all used to hang out together and Lysander would follow Allison around like a lost puppy after its master. She used to get so jealous and if she was honest, that is probably one of the reasons why she never told them she was leaving. It sounded horrible, even to her, but it was true. Arabella knew that she shouldn't be blaming her mistake on Allison, Allison had always been nice to her… but would it really be blaming if she was a factor for her mistake?<p>

Before she could further contemplate the decision, a loud voice called out to her "Hey, newbie! Are you lost?" Turning, she came face to face with one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. He was tall with wide shoulders and a body to die for… Well, from as far as Arabella could see, it was a really good body. His light brown eyes sparkled with an unleashed joy and his smile was infectious, making her own scowling face twitch into a sort of smile. His tousled brown hair gave him a boyish look, along with the dimple in his chin and all it did was seem to add to his beauty. However, for all the beauty, there was an alarm bell sounding in her head. He seemed distantly familiar but she had to be careful around him. "No, I'm not lost. I used to go to school here." His smile broadened. "No you didn't. I would know if a gorgeous girl like you went here." She blushed at his compliment but she knew what the alarm bell was for, this guy was a player. "I left about 4 years ago after 1st year, I wasn't so gorgeous then. I'm Arabella"  
>"Arabella, that's a nice name. My name is James. James Potter" Arabella went deathly still.<p>

She was talking to James Potter, the James Potter. Arabella felt as if the world had shrunk and now she was too big, she had to get out. Pushing past him, she tried to get away but he quickly gripped her wrist. "Woah, where's the fire?" She snatched her wrist away and clutched it to her chest. "I have to go to class, sorry." She hitched her bag higher onto her shoulder and backed away facing James, as if he was an animal that would attack the second her eyes were away. James watched her walk away; the grin seemed to be stuck on his face and Arabella wanted to slap it off. She was no longer blinded by his dashing good looks, she could see exactly who he was, a dick who thought with his dick. She shouldn't be here, she couldn't be here. She kept her eyes locked on his and silently counted to three. Once she finished her mental countdown, the turned away from him and started her trek to class "Er, it was nice meeting you James. See you around." Okay, so she was lying through her teeth on that last sentence but still, this was the man from Allison's description. How did she not figure it out sooner? While catching up, Allison had told her about a guy that had struck her fancy; he was gorgeous and charming, even though he was an asshole most of the time. Arabella was not going to let James anywhere near her; it could potentially hurt Allison and it wasn't worth the risk.

* * *

><p>James stood watching Arabella's ass as she walked away, not even bothering to hide his staring. She was pretty interesting, this Arabella. He seemed to recall knowing an Arabella ages ago and wondered if this was the same girl. Arabella was definitely a unique name and if this was the Arabella he thought she was, he already had the 'friend's friend' angle in his favour. Well, he could work that angle if Allison wasn't avoiding him and he wasn't even going to bother asking Lysander, the guy would probably shoot him down faster than lightning. So, his only choice was Allison, James just hoped beyond hope that she wouldn't run away at the sight of him. It was funny, most girls ran towards him but Allison, and now Arabella, seemed repulsed by him. It was aggravating to know that the key to getting Arabella was through Allison but whatever, people did stupider things for stupider reasons. He just wished that Lysander wouldn't hear of his little plan, that guy was like the dragons to Allison's dragon egg status and will claw your ass up if you mess with her. Sighing, he turned around and walked to his favourite spot on the whole of campus.<p>

James's smile grew as he caught sight of the tapestry. He quickly looked around before quietly slipping in, immediately being surrounded by the darkness. It probably would have scared anyone else but James knew this passage like the back of his hand. Directly to his left, there was a tunnel and at the end of this tunnel was James's target. It only took a few moments for James to reach the end and the only thing that stood between him and his goal was a solid door. James slowly pushed it open and was immediately blinded by the light pouring in through the small crack. After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted and he took in his surroundings. It wasn't much but what did you expect for a forest clearing? He and his best friend had bought a small couch up here to relax on and they also had a small statue, just to make it classy. However, speaking of best friends, James could see her right now. There, sitting on the couch was his dearest friend, Claire Wood. "Took you long enough. What have I told you about keeping me waiting?" She turned around to face him and James couldn't help but get a smile to match her own.

"So, let me get this right. You're telling me that you found a new chick to bang and that she's smoking hot. The only problem is, she's Allison's ex bestie and treats you like you're the scum of the earth?" Claire asked, leaning back against the couch and looking at the sky. "Yep, that pretty much covers it." James responded from his seat beside her.  
>"You are one sick SOB, you know that?"<br>"Thank you, I strive to hear your compliments everyday" Claire gave him a withering look. "Don't be a douche, you know what I mean. This might be a bite that even you can't chew." James gave her a dumbfounded look. "Okay, first off, Allison is avoiding you. How you going to get her to help you? And on the Allison topic, what about Lysander? He will skin you alive and use that skin as a welcome mat if he finds out. And then there is Arabella, who seems to hate the very air you breathe. Face the music James; this is too big for even you" James looked straight into Claire's dark brown eyes and smirked. "Challenge accepted."


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer! I do not own Harry Potter and I also do not own any of the characters. Enjoy and Review :)**

To say that Arabella was frustrated would have been the biggest understatement of the century. It would kind of be like calling a dragon dangerous, it was so obvious that only the densest person on earth would not be able to make the connection. Not only had she not seen a hair follicle of Allison since the moment Lysander had whisked her away two days ago, but James was hounding her for a date so much, she was considered locking him in the Shrieking Shack. But this wasn't even the tip of the iceberg of troubles Arabella had, her father still couldn't find a job; her mother was sick again; she had lost her lucky pen and her Herbology essay was crap. Groaning, Arabella rested her head in her hands and decided to wallow in her self-pity for a moment. Life couldn't get much lousier than this and Arabella was sick of it, it was time she took a stand. To hell with waiting for Lysander to come to her, she would get in Lysander's face and make him listen to her. With a new resolve, Arabella marched out of the dining hall and searched for the top priority of her list: Lysander Scamander.

It was ridiculous hard to find Lysander Scamander, granted it was a large school but even then, you think you would find him. Most people she asked didn't even know who he was! She would like to think that in the time she's been gone he would have expanded his friendship horizons but it was a no go. Just when she was about to give up, she caught sight of him. "Lysander." He didn't even look at her. "Lysander!" He continued walking away. Arabella ran to catch up with, all the while calling out his name. He didn't even react. Angry, she grabbed onto his arm and swung him around "Okay, listen to me. You're pissed at me, but seriously, don't ignore me when I'm calling out for you, okay?" He looked impassively at her, making her blood boil. Just as she went to rip him a new one, he finally answered her "Hello Arabella, my name is Lorcan. It's nice to see you again." To say Arabella was shocked would be too kind, she was downright stunned. How could she forget that Lysander was an identical twin?

"Hey Lorcan, I'm so sorry about the mix up. I kinda forgot that Lysander had a twin." Lorcan didn't even bat an eyelid; he just kept staring at her with a sort of half-smile. That's how Arabella knew he was telling the truth, Lysander would have just frowned her to death. "Its okay, happens all the time. Even grandpa gets us confused sometimes." He laughed a little while Arabella awkwardly chuckled along with him. "Well, I was looking for Lysander. Have you seen him?" Lorcan nodded his head slowly.  
>"Yeah, he was out by the lake last time I saw." Arabella nodded her thanks and turned to go to the lake when a hand stopped her. "If I were you, I would stay away. From Allison and Lysander" Arabella turned to stare at Lorcan. He hadn't said it maliciously; she couldn't even find a trace of anger, just cold truth. "I can't. They're my friends." She tried to plead with him to understand but he remained impassive. "No, they're not. You gave that up when you left them." Arabella flinched at his words. "If you want to be friends again, I would suggest giving them space. If you take it slow, you'll be friends in no time." Arabella was flabbergasted at Lorcan giving her, the enemy of his brother, advice. Before she could thank him, he was already walking away from her.<p>

* * *

><p>Over in the courtyard, on the other side of the campus, Allison stood with her back to the wall and eyes closed in prayer. She had been a good girl, never did anything bad… well, she mostly never did anything bad. She hoped that this wasn't punishment for lying to her teacher about her homework, because if it was, she was going to complain. There was a hell of a lot more people who did worse things than lying about homework. It wasn't even a complete lie! It did technically fall into the fireplace, it just happened to be helped along by Allison. Sighing, she subtly peeked around the corner of the wall and had to physically refrain herself from cursing. There, not even two metres away, was James Potter. Normally, this wouldn't be a bad thing, she could just sneak away but this was a huge problem because he seemed to be guarding the only door out of the courtyard. She cursed her forgetfulness, having left wand on her nightstand. She had been on her way to get it when she was accidently cornered by James, no doubt he used Uncle Harry's marauders map to find her. Groaning, she did the only thing she could do. Taking a calming breathe, she stepped out from behind the wall and pretended like nothing ever happened.<p>

That was really hard to do when James's face lit up at the sight of her. She squashed the butterflies in her stomach and gave him a nervous smile. "Hey James, how are you?" He grinned at her and ran a hand through his hair "Hey Ally, I'm good… No, I'm great actually. I would be better but I have to talk to you first" Allison nodded her head and tried to skilfully manoeuvre herself through the archway but James didn't even budge. "James; now's not a good time. I have to go to Charms." He gave her a quizzical look. "Classes don't start for another 20 minutes, and this won't take long. Promise"  
>"Fine, what did you want to talk about?" Allison prayed that it wouldn't be about what happened in the Astronomy tower, she would die of embarrassment if that was his question. "I actually wanted to talk to you about Arabella. She's your friend, right?" Allison didn't know which subject was worse. "Arabella? Um, yeah, I guess she is. Why?"<br>"Well, I was wondering, since you're her friend and you're my friend, would you mind hooking us up?" Allison stared up at him in complete shock. She did not expect this.

It took a while for Allison to get her composure back, having been shocked into speechlessness. "Wait, you want me to get you and Arabella together, as in, dating?"  
>"Well, I was thinking more of a hook-up..." James shrugged his shoulders.<br>"James… I can't…" She finally stuttered, stepping away. He took a step closer to her  
>"What? Why? I thought you were my friend? Friends help each other."|<br>"If you were my friend, you wouldn't have asked me to do this." She retorted, clutching her books tighter to her chest and stepping further away from him, eyes starting to tear up. "Friends ask each other for help all the time. I don't get why you're getting so upset." "I'm upset because you're asking me to set my friend up for heart break!" So, it was a little bit of a lie but it was also true. Just because she liked him, doesn't mean she was blind to what he did. "If you care about me at all, promise me you'll stay away from Arabella." James stared right into her eyes; she could see he was sad to not get this conquest. "Okay Ally, I promise I'll leave Arabella alone. I'm sorry I asked you to do that" Allison nodded her head and walked past him, feeling lighter than before.

* * *

><p>Why? Why did he have to make that stupid promise? It must have been a combination of the shame from using a guilt trip on sweet, innocent Allison and her mastery of the 'puppy pout' that swayed him. He couldn't believe he agreed to stay away from a babe like Arabella, all because he was asked to. Well, whatever, as long as Allison never finds out that he was still chasing Arabella, everything would be fine. Besides, James never said no to a challenge. Sighing, James paced the clearing, trying to figure out a way to get into Arabella's pants under the radar. There had to be a way, there was always a way. He had to be extremely sneaky with this, not his usual style. Plus, girls tended to be more suspicious when you tried to keep things on the down-low. Growling, James nearly ripped his hair out from the frustration of it, it just wasn't fair. "Having a bit of trouble James?" he looked up at the looming figure of his best friend.<br>"You could say that." Claire grinned down at him.  
>"Well, tell Aunty Claire what's wrong and she might even help fix your booboo." James laughed at Claire and scooted over to make room. "Well…"<p>

After a full 5 minutes of relaying exactly what happened, James sat pouting on the couch while Claire died of laughter. "Are you finished yet?"  
>"Hell No! I'm just getting started. It's not every day that playboy extraordinary James Potter stuffs it this bad." Claire giggled, holding her stomach to try and control the spasms. James huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at her. After a few minutes, Claire's laughter finally subsided to the odd chuckle. "You definitely stuffed it this time James. Gosh, I can't believe you promised her that." James groaned.<br>"I know! I don't even know why I did it."  
>"What are you going to do about it?"<br>"Er, continue trying to get in Arabella's pants?" Claire glared at him.  
>"Really? You promise little Allison Longbottom that you would leave Arabella alone and you continue trying to get in her pants?" James shrugged his shoulders.<br>"She's hot. What can you do?"  
>"I pray for your soon-to-be-dead soul." James laughed at her.<p>

He wasn't laughing now but oh how he wished he could. Standing about three feet from him and bent over a water fountain was Arabella. By god, did she have the sexiest ass in the whole of school? James thought so, and by the amount of other guys staring, he was not alone in that sentiment. Smirking, he walked right up behind her and waited for her to finish. When she finally noticed that someone was behind her, she tilted her head to look up at him and her eyes went wide "Heya Arabella, how are you?" She blinked at him. "Hey, Arabella is such a mouthful, can I call you Bella?"  
>"No, you can't." She stood upright and went to move around him. He mimicked her movements. "Aw, why not? I thought we were friends"<br>"We're acquaintances. I don't even know how old you are."  
>"I'll be 17 soon. 23rd of April, in case you're wondering." James gave his most charming smile. He could see the flush working its way onto her face but she fought it hard. "No, I wasn't wondering." She turned around and stalked away, her hips swaying. "Damn." James licked his lips and watched until she disappeared around the corner.<p>

* * *

><p>Furious would probably be the only way to describe how Lysander was feeling and he wasn't even sure if that covered it! How could he do this? Isn't there some kind of rule against this type of thing? If there wasn't, he had just created one, effective immediately. There is to be no advising of a brother's enemy so long as that person remained an enemy. "I don't get why you're so angry Lysander, she's sorry and it was a long time ago, get over it." Lorcan said simply from his seat on the bed. Lysander continued to pace the floor. "We don't tell the Native American's to get over their mistreatment; we don't tell the African Americans to get over the KKK. What's the difference here?"<br>"The difference is that those events affected a whole nation of people for many generations. Your situation doesn't even come close in comparison."  
>"But she made Allison cry! For 3 days!" Lysander whined, completely ignoring his brother's last statement. "Romance novels makes Allison cry and she still reads them."<br>"She does? I thought I told her to stop reading that crap." Lorcan smirked at Lysander, as if he had just won the lottery.

"See? You just proved my point." Lysander gave him a quizzical look.  
>"What point?"<br>"That you think Allison in fragile, that you have to protect her from every little thing that will hurt her." Lorcan got of the bed and stepped in front of his brother, making him stop. "You can't protect her from everything and besides, she's a big girl now. Let her grow up, make her own choices" Lysander glared at Lorcan, crossing his arms.  
>"What if something happens to her?"<br>"Nothing's going to happen to her, and if it does, all you have to do is be there to help her pick up the pieces." Lysander glared at his younger brother before sighing, giving Lorcan a small smile. "You're right, again. When did you get so smart anyway?"  
>"It's a gift. Now, get out of my room. You have stuff to do." Lorcan pushed Lysander out of the room, slamming the door in his face. "Wait! What do I have to do?" Silence was his only answer.<p>

Lysander lumbered down the hallways, eyes downcast in thought. Was Lorcan right? Did he really baby Allison? He knew the answer before the question was even fully formed, he obviously babied Allison. It's not like he intentionally did it though, it was just that she was too nice to know any better and it was his job to protect her from anything bad. Lorcan's words from earlier floated across his mind, about how he had to let her grow up and make her own choices in life. Sighing, he turned his gaze away from his feet and immediately his eyes were drawn to the figure of Arabella. She was sitting on a bench by herself, nobody was around and she seemed really sad. Lysander could remember a long time ago when he was the one on the bench by himself and it was Allison who came and talked to him. Suddenly, the whole conversation he had with Lorcan replayed through his head and he abruptly understood his brother's subliminal message. He wanted Lysander to forgive Arabella for leaving and to let her and Allison be friends again. Lysander growled low in his throat and turned away, walking away from Arabella and that whole train of thought. He would never admit it to anyone but one day he was going to forgive Arabella. It just wouldn't be too soon.


	5. Chapter 4

**Diclaimer! I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Enjoy and Review :)**

Looking out her room window, Allison realised that she couldn't be any happier. It had been roughly a month since James had asked her to help him get together with Arabella and he hadn't said a word about it since, just like he had promised. He also hadn't even mentioned the Astronomy class incident, although Sarah Tuckerton did glare at her whenever she saw Allison. Smiling, Allison skipped over to her lunch table and sat down, patiently waiting for Lysander. He had been acting weird lately, he didn't seem to want to hang out any more and Allison didn't know what to do. She didn't want to ask him what's wrong, because that might make it worse. What could she have done that made Lysander not want to be her friend anymore? Allison chewed on her bottom lip, having become extremely worried about the whole situation. Different scenarios went through her mind, all of them ending with Lysander leaving her. By the time Lysander arrived, Allison was close to tears.

"Ally, babe, what's wrong?" Lysander cooed, hugging her close with one arm. Allison wiped her eyes to rid them of moisture and tried to smile. "Nothing, I'm just being stupid." Lysander raised an eyebrow at her. "No, honestly, I'm fine."  
>"If that's fine, I would hate to see you upset."<br>"Sander, I'm fine, okay? No need to worry about me." Lysander shook his head at before pulling her up to her feet. "C'mon, let's go for a walk."  
>"But I haven't finished eating yet…"<br>"It's called multi-tasking Ally. With you being a woman and all, I thought you would have heard of it." Lysander teased, poking her ribs. "That is so sexist. Don't make me owl your mother." Allison mock-threatened, trying not to laugh. Lysander didn't bother and chuckled loudly, drawing attention from other students. "Before you owl my mother, I need to talk to you." Allison's anxiety level went straight through the roof.

Allison waited on edge as they walked, trying to prepare herself for anything that might happen. By the time they got to the pond, she was a mess. "Allison, we've been friends for a while now and I think it's time that…"  
>"Please don't leave me! Whatever I did wrong, I can fix it. Just please, stay!" Lysander gave her a weird look "What? What are you going on about?"<br>"You're breaking up with me..." Lysander looked even more puzzled.  
>"What? Break up? Ally, we aren't dating. You know Zambini's the only one for me."<br>"Yes, you've told me many times that he is, but that's not what I'm talking about!"  
>"Then what are you talking about?' Lysander asked exasperatedly, completely confused.<br>"I'm talking about you not wanting to be my best friend anymore!"  
>"Not wanting what?" Lysander looked shocked. "Why would you think that?"<br>"You've been really distant lately and you just said the classic break up line."  
>"I've had a lot of thinking to do, and if you would have let me finish, you would know I was going to say I thought it was time that we try be friends with Arabella again" Allison was silent before smiling. "So, we're not breaking up?"<p>

* * *

><p>Nothing on Earth could ruin this day! Nothing! Arabella felt as if she could tackle a troll, walk on clouds, move mountains. This was the best she had felt ever since she started schooling at Hogwarts' and it was all thanks to Lorcan Scamander. She didn't know how he did it and she didn't want to know, because it had to be illegal in order to make Lysander change his mind about the whole 'Arabella is the devil incarnate' thing… well, he hadn't really changed his mind. He still probably thought it, but the only difference was that he now let Allison talk to her. When it was said like that, he sounded like a deranged psychopath with an obsession on Allison but Arabella couldn't care less, that deranged psychopath let her be friends with Allison again. That just meant that she was one step closer to being friends with Lysander again too. She had to remind herself to send Lorcan an awesome present, just as a thank you.<p>

Arabella was in such a good mood, that she didn't even notice the shadow that was casted upon her. "Hey Bella, how's your day today?" Arabella rolled her eyes and started walking away. "Don't call me Bella. And it's been uneventful." James smirked and strolled along beside her. He was humming a tune that Arabella was familiar with, but at this point it just seemed to grate on her nerves, like every other thing he did. This guy just did not seem to grasp the concept of the word no… he was a rapist in the making. Arabella giggled at her internal joke but was bought back down to reality by James. "So, I was thinking, maybe we could go to dinner sometime?"  
>"Okay, James, I'm sure you have better things to do then to get rejected by me."<br>"C'mon Arabella, just say yes already. You're hot, I'm hot. It's only natural."  
>"My answer is still no James. Now, can you go bug someone else?"<br>"Why all the rejection? Girls would kill to be in your shoes."  
>"Girls would kill to be exposed to a STD?" James laughed at her joke and that just seemed to aggravate her more. Growling, she stalked away from him as fast as she could, needing to vent to her girlfriends.<p>

"He just doesn't seem to understand that no means no! God, it's like he likes being rejected!" Arabella shrieked, waving her arms around like a mad woman to emphasis her point. "Well, no one really says no to James. Maybe it's a turn on?" Elise Corner replied, a friend Arabella had made. She was a year older than her but they seemed to get along fine. "Maybe what's a turn on?" Allison asked, sitting down next to Arabella. Arabella beamed at her, glad to finally have her best friend back. "Saying no to James."  
>"Maybe it is. I wouldn't have a clue; James has never flirted with me"<br>"Well, it's worth a shot. Maybe if you finally agree, James will leave you alone." Elise said, nudging Arabella. She had once fallen under James' charm but had quickly gotten over it. Allison's head whipped around at Elise's joke. "What?"  
>"James has been hounding me for a date. Don't worry though, I've told him no. Repeatedly." Elise and Arabella giggled while Allison looked close to tears. "How long has this been going on for?" Elise and Arabella shared a glance. "Um, ever since my first day. So about, a month maybe?" Allison looked devastated.<br>"How… what….. But… he promised…." Arabella could barely make out what on earth Allison was saying; all she knew was that it wasn't good.

* * *

><p>Lysander could barely suppress the urge to pound James Potter into teensy tiny pieces. As it was, his fists were clenched until his knuckles were white and were shaking so bad that he had to physically stop his shoulders moving from the force of it. It wouldn't help the already hysterical Allison if she knew how angry he was. How could James do this? Especially to Allison! It just didn't make any sense. James was a player; there was no doubt in anyone's mind about that, but they had thought that he was at least an honourable one. Last year, when Carla Hillborough was throwing herself at him, James turned her down because she had dated his cousin Fred Weasley. And trust Lysander, Carla was a fricken babe! So, it didn't make sense that James was still trying to get in Arabella's pants if he had promised Allison he wouldn't. It wasn't James's style to do this type of thing, he was a douche but he had a code and this went against everything in it.<p>

"I just don't understand Lysander! He promised he wouldn't do it! He promised…" Allison whispered, the words muffled from her hands. She sat in front of him crying and he felt his need to smash James into rubble increasing. "Hey, you know how James is. He's a douche-bag that doesn't care about anyone but himself." Lysander replied, rubbing her shoulders. This was exactly what he was telling Lorcan would happen, he lets his guard down for a second and she is hurt beyond belief. She didn't seem to be listening. "Ally, James is an asshole. It was only a matter of time before he became a liar too." Allison looked up with determination in her eyes.  
>"James may be a lot of things, but he isn't a liar…. Or at least I thought he wasn't" Sighing, Lysander tried to smile. "How about we go get some hot chocolate from the cafeteria? I'll buy." Allison seemed to consider it for a second before shaking her head. "No thanks, I think I'm just going to go do some homework. I'll see you later Lysander." Standing, Allison retreated to her room and left a stunned Lysander behind.<p>

This was worse than what Lysander originally thought. Allison wasn't a very complex person to understand. She liked something or she didn't and she loved hot chocolate, so she had to be majorly depressed if she turned down a free cup of hot chocolate. Lysander growled his agitation at the whole situation and quickly stood up from the table, rushing out the door. For the sake of everyone here, Lysander had to get out. In his state of rage, there was no telling what he would do… well, he knew what he would do if he saw James. Lysander smiled sadistically at the thought and had to suppress a cackle. By the time he reached his favourite spot, he could see that someone was already there. With dark brown eyes and even darker hair, Lysander felt his blood pressure sky-rocket as he was face to face with Claire Wood, James's best friend. "Look, I get that you're majorly pissed at James but stay calm, it part of the plan." Lysander growled and it was only his moral code that kept him from hitting her, she was a girl after all. "You're using my best friend and you want me stay calm?"  
>"Allison's not going to get hurt…" Lysander interrupted her before she could finish speaking. "Don't you get it? She already is" They stood in the silence.<br>"I'm sorry about her pain but she will be fine eventually. Trust me…" Lysander wasn't sure he could with stakes this high.

Everything was going smoothly. It had been about a month and a bit since he laid eyes on Arabella, a month since he made

* * *

><p>that promise to Allison. The first few times he flirted with Arabella after the promise, James expected to hear stories of how Allison cried because he broke his promise, but when he didn't hear any, his confidence grew. Strutting down the hallway, James's eyes locked onto the small frame of Arabella. She seemed to glide down the hallway, her voice soft as she spoke to her companion, whose name he could not remember. He quickly caught up to them and threw an arm around Arabella. "Hello my Bella Bear, how are you today?" Arabella glared at him and her companion snorted. "Don't call me that. And I was fine until you came along." James smirked. "Ah, Bella Bear. You keep talking like that and you might just hurt my feelings."<br>"Like you did to Allison." James tensed and moved away from her, not really sure how to respond to that statement. It could only lead to bad things.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Arabella and whatever her name was glared at him, obviously knowing he was lying. "I think you do. What did you promise her?" "Nothing. I haven't done anything to Ally." James replied, crossing his arms defensively. "Then why did she get so upset when I told her you had been stalking me for a date?" Suddenly, James had a tight hold on Arabella's arms and was close to shaking her. "What. Did. You. Tell. Her?" Arabella jerked out of his grip and rubbed her arms. You could see the red marks of James hands, showing just how tightly he had been holding her. "Oh, not so innocent now? What did you do?"  
>"What did you tell her?' James and Arabella glared at each other until Arabella finally gave in. "I told her the truth. That you have been hounding me for a date for the past month." James's throat went dry. He was caught. Allison knew. Without saying goodbye, he stalked off in search of her. He had to explain things to her.<p>

By the time he found Allison, James was pretty confident that she would forgive him. "Hey Ally, look I just wanted to say that I'm sor…"  
>"No, you're not. You're not sorry at all." Allison looked up and he could see the pain in her eyes.<br>"But I am Allison. I really am. It was wrong and I shouldn't have done it."  
>"Then why did you do it?" James couldn't answer her. Allison stood up and for a small person, Allison looked so powerful. "I'll tell you why you did it James. You did it because you're an asshole. You did it because you are a complete jerk who doesn't care about anyone but yourself! You think that just because your James fricken Potter, you can get away with anything. You think that just because you're the man, that you have immunity from everything. Not this time James." She poked him in the chest at every important word.<br>"I said I was sorry Allison. Why can't you just forgive me?"  
>"Because forgiving you would be saying that everything is okay and it's not James. You promised me that you would leave Arabella alone and you broke that James. You broke it." Allison went to walk away but James grabbed her arm, trying to stop her. He didn't know if he or Allison was more surprised by the slap across the face she gave him. She stared at her hand for a moment before clenching it into a fist. "From now on, don't bother talking to me, because I will ignore you. I only talk to my friends and you're not my friend anymore." She left James standing alone, staring after her in sadness.<p> 


End file.
